The Dragon's Egg
by PhilliBilliful
Summary: This is the tale of a girl who escapes from tyranny with a very valuable piece of luggage, and finds a safe haven on the island of Berk. Where she meets Hiccup and the rest, and finds herself developing a special bond with a certain troublemaker. TT/OC
1. Chapter 1

The Dragon's Egg  
>An HTTYD Fanfic.<p>

((Hey guys! Thanks for tuning into my fan fiction. I do not own the rights to the characters from the storybook and movie. Please give comments and feedback. I would like to know if I'm on a good track with this story.)) 

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><p>"Over there!" A man hollered through the clashing sounds of the heavy rain against the earth. "She went this way!" Another one shouted, his arm flung forward in the air to signal a pack of men to follow. Their tunics were soaked and the lit torches they carried were battling against the rain to stay lit. The sounds of horses jeering amongst them with the thunderous pounding upon the ground sounded like a stampede. Drowned out from the rain were the sounds of bushes, grass, and low hanging tree branches being pushed aside further up ahead of the group of pursuing men. The girl panted in sporadic rhythms, trying to keep herself focused and with enough breath to escape. Her jet black hair clumped together and weighed almost as heavily as her equally soaked garments. But what slowed her down the most was the makeshift backpack she kept securely strapped to her back. Her arm flailed as it pushed another branch away from her path, only to have it swing back to it's original position once she passed and let go of it.<p>

There had to be a way for her to lose the horses. If she could force the men to go on foot, she might still have a chance. But she didn't have much time to think, they were closing in on her fast. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she hid herself behind a boulder. It was so difficult to see in the rain, especially at night. Something, however, caught her eye. There! Somehow she managed to spot the entrance to the densely entanglement of vegetation, far too dense for horses to maneuver through. But could she make it there without being seen? Being ever so careful, she peered around the rock, looking for the light of the torches and listening for the sounds of the men and horses. It seems they had slowed as well, they must have lost sight of her. She moved back to the middle of the boulder, trying to figure out what to do.

"Have you found her?" One man shouted in her direction. "Not yet!" A man, perhaps was only about ten feet away on the other side of the boulder shouted back. The girl gasped, not realizing until now how close he was. She looked around frantically until her bare foot slipped on some mud and she fell to her knees. She had let out a tiny yelp and covered her mouth quickly, worried that the man might have heard it. And she had every right to worried. She heard the low roar of the flames on the torch the man held swing around and he approached the boulder, unsure if he had in fact heard something. Oh no! She thought to herself. She looked around again, and to her surprise, there was a crevice beneath the boulder just barely big enough for her to squeeze through. But the bag on her back would not fit. She had to think fast. Slipping the bag into a very thick bush, she squeezed herself into the mud-laden crevice.

It was difficult for her to breath, but she tried to quiet herself. Suddenly, the squishing sound of the man's footprints came into clear range of her hearing as the two large feet stepped right in front of her. Before she realized it, her breath was held in terror, especially as the man paused in that spot. The sound of her racing heart pounded in her head and she prayed that the man will turn around and leave. "There's no one over here!" The man finally shouted before turning around to rendezvous with the rest of the group. The girl let out a sigh of relief before crawling out from under the rock formation. She took another quick look around before grabbing the backpack and strapping it down tightly. This was it, if she was going to have a chance, it had to be now. Taking a few deep breaths, she lunged forward, her toes digging into the wet soil below to prevent her from slipping. Her arms swayed vigorously as the girl sprinted for the sanctuary of the thick forest. Almost there… just a few more strides… She thought, still listening for closing pursuers who might have seen her.

Success! The girl moved in far enough to mask her figure when she looked back. The light from the torches had turned and were travelling to the right. It seems her plan worked. The forest had gotten too thick for the horses, which means some of the men were forced to detour. She only prayed no one had seen her. Now was not the time to rest however. She turned, and kept running through the dense forest. Her feet were all scraped up from running over shards of wood and rocks. She was sure they were probably bleeding. She felt her muscles burn and her breathing became heavy. Running through this part of the woods was tougher. She could feel herself slowing down. But no, she couldn't stop, she had to keep going no matter what. A hand lazily flew up towards a branch to catch herself, but to no avail, her reach was not long enough and she plummeted forward into the mud. More panting and heavy breathing. She managed to prop her torso out of the mud so she was on her hands and knees. Her eyes clenched shut as her head hung down, desperately trying to catch enough breath to continue. It took a lot of will power, but she managed to get back up. She could still hear the sounds of the men behind her. They must have entered the thick area on foot. Whether they were running or not she didn't know. Continuing on her way, she weaved between the plantation with haste. What she thought was a clearing, turned out to be a small drop. The girl wobbled and clenched a nearby tree as she almost fell into the creek just below her. A creek…. That could lead her to the ocean! Since she's on the cusp of the coast after all. Crouching down, the girl began her decent into the trench.

Thank goodness the heavy rain masked the sounds of her feet splashing through the shallow creek. Most of it was a mud-like bed, with some rocks here and there. It wasn't until she felt the coarse grains of sand beneath her numbing feet and the smell of salt in the air that she felt some kind of relief. Almost free. It seemed that with the feeling of hope, her running pace picked up and her strides widened. Before she realized it, she was on a long beach, the waves crashing against the shore. And there, off in the distance at the other end of the beach to the right was a wooden boat. It looked like it belonged to a fisherman of some kind as the boat had a tiny two-man cabin in the middle, made of the same wood. It was almost like a small barge. The girl didn't question whose it was. She looked to her left at the other side of the beach, off in the distance, she could see the lights of the men that were on the horses. Without another thought, she bolted for the boat. This was her only chance now. She had to get onto the sea where they could not follow.

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><p>-End of Chapter One!- <p>


	2. Chapter 2: Starvation and the Rescue

Chapter Two: Starvation and the Rescue

Hey guys! Thanks again for reading my fanfic! I hope to get you chapters on a semi regular basis, I'm aiming for every two or three days. 

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><p>It had been weeks since the young girl escaped from her country. The storm that allowed her to flee successfully was but a distant memory. She had been doing her best to distill fresh water out of the ocean water. The fisherman who owned the boat had some items on board that allowed her to do just that, though it never gave her much. The beating sun however was an excellent opportunity for her luggage to warm. She kept it fairly in the middle of the boat in the bright rays. <em>This will do for now…<em> she thought. Fishing didn't give her much, especially since she didn't really have a way to cook them. At some points in the day, the boat would get so hot that she could somewhat sear the sides on a plank of wood, if not, then the fish would dry into a semi flaking jerky. The mud that covered the whole front of her body had dried and flaked off a long time ago, though, her skin was still greyed by the left over dirt particles.

She had no one to talk to for the three weeks she was at sea so she sang a lot, just whatever came to mind, mostly of a lullaby her grandmother used to sing to her. She didn't know where she was going to end up, on clear nights, she would row the boat using the stars for navigation. As far as she knew, she was heading north. At times the ocean would be shrouded in bits of mist, and she noticed that the weather slowly became chillier, and thus, the ability to catch fish dwindled into nothing. She felt herself slowly starving, though managed to keep a little bit of drinkable water distilled, but even that was running out. When it got chilly, she moved into the tiny little cabin with her luggage and curled up, almost too weak to move.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs. You will be patrolling to the east. Astrid, Hiccup, Snotlout, you three will be patrolling the south today. You all know the drill. Make sure both groups have a Terror with you." Stoic explained as he gave the late teens their assignments. The terrors were small and quick, though not as quick as a Night Fury, but they made good message carriers. A lot of the village were frankly too large to fly the dragons on a regular basis, so patrolling by sky was often left to the younger generation who hadn't grown into that buff Viking size yet, though Fishlegs was a little iffy. Sometimes it seemed like his Bronkle had a tough time carrying him. This was one of Hiccups favourite assignments, it gave him some semi alone time with Astrid, the only buzz kill was that Snotlout was with them, and he still seemed to be trying to win Astrid to his side. "Alright, lets go Toothless." He muttered as he hopped onto the saddle that was strapped to the back of his best friend, the Night Fury he bonded with those few years ago when the war between Dragons and Vikings still raged.

"So, Astrid." Snotlout began once they were well on their patrol. The sky was fairly clear, it was perhaps about mid-late summer. There were however, patches of fog about and the clouds hung a little low. Astrid glanced his was apathetically. "What." She sternly replied. "Well, uh, so there's this party happening over at the twins house tomorrow night, even though you're with Hiccup, I still think we should go together anyways." Hiccup rolled his eyes and Astrid scoffed. "Sorry, no, I'm already going with Hiccup." she replied with a cool attitude. "Drat" Snotlout mumbled to himself. An alarming grumble came from Toothless which had caught Hiccup's attention immediately. "What is it bud?" And he watched as Toothless turned his head towards a small dark object floating on top the water.

"Lets go check it out." the strong voice that belonged to Astrid chimed and the others followed. As they got closer, the details of the object came into view. "It's a boat of some kind, a very strange boat." Snotlout observed as they began to circle around. "It's too small for you boys to land, go scope the area, see if there are any more boats." Astrid called as she landed on top the cabin part of the boat. Luckily, her dragon was a breed that was very light and didn't weigh the boat down too much further. She tread carefully, hearing creaks with each step. It felt like this rickety wooden boat could spring a leak at any moment or just outright fall apart. She hopped down examining the front. It definitely looked like someone had recently been using some of the tools. She took note of a few piles of rope shoved to either side. Her attention turned to the cabin, and with her battle axe in hand and ready, she slowly opened the door, ready for anything.

Astrid's eyes widened when she saw what was in front of her. It was a girl that looked to be about the same age as her. Her hair was long, falling down to her mid back, and seemingly black. It was hard to tell from all the dirt that covered her. Her clothes looked like they used to be a white or cream color of some kind, and somewhat thin. Her glance continued downwards to the girls bare feet. They too were blackened by dirt, and red, filled with cuts scratches where some were most likely infected, it was obvious with the swelling in some areas. Within the girls weak arms were wrapped around her luggage that she had strapped to her back previously, clutching it, protecting it. Astrid scooted down to kneel beside the girl, gently nudging her shoulder.

At first it didn't seem to work, until her head came up, her eyes struggling to stay open. "P….please…" The girl mumbled. Her lips were dry and chapped and her throat sounded full of sand. Astrid shot up and looked around for something to help her. There was a tiny bit of distilled water left in a tiny basin. She held it up to the girls lips and let the water seep into her mouth. The girl coughed as she tried to keep up with how fast she was being fed. "Thank you…" the girl muttered. "Please… don't let anything happen to the egg. It must stay warm, it must stay safe…" Astrid wasn't sure as to what she was referring to, but she kneeled forward to try to pull the cloth bag away from her. A piece fell open, and Astrid caught the glimpse of something that looked like a giant pearl that was perfectly spherical and partially transparent only in the slightest. But the only thing was that it was bigger than her head! "Please protect the egg…" The girl muttered again before losing consciousness.

A few deep breaths and Astrid was to her feet. However, the moment she reopened the door, a blast of chilly air nipped violently at her face. "We can't transport her on dragon back…it's too cold." She thought out loud. Her eyes darted about, trying to think of something. That's when the idea sprung to mind and her face lit up. Upon leaving the cabin area, she made sure to keep the door closed. The rope on either side of the boat will be perfect! She had to act quickly though, who knows how much longer the girl had. She looked like she was on the verge of death already. It was only seconds before the rope was in her arms and she was tying it to the boat. Four long pieces. This was perfect. She needn't the fourth, but the three will work. Taking the middle rope she tied to the front of the boat, she wrapped it around the base of her dragon's neck. She was moving so fast that she almost forgot about the chirping terror at her feet. "Oh right!"

"There's nothing else out here!" Hiccup called down to Astrid as they returned, circling around. Hiccup took notice to the Terror flying off back to Berk with a message. "We gotta haul this boat back! And fast!" Astrid hollered towards her friends. Hiccup and Snotlout nodded to each other and circled around like the shape of a pretzel. As each of them passed by the boat, Astrid threw them the rope. As soon as she could confirm that both boys had a firm handle on their ends, she jumped up onto her dragon and joined them. Toothless scoffed, obviously convinced he could do this on his own with Hiccup. The waves around the boat grew, no longer being carried by the current as it picked up tremendous momentum. The girl inside shuttered ever so slightly from sleep at the motion and wrapped herself tightly around the egg in her arms. Was she rescued?

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><p>Alright! So that's the end of Chapter Two! This time it was a bit longer. If my chapters seem too long, please let me know. I'm still experimenting with the lengths as this is my first fanfic!<p>

See you at Chapter Three!


	3. Chapter 3: Curiosity

Chapter 3: A Strange Place

Hey guys! Thanks to those who have added my story to their favourites.

RuffTuffTwins: Thank you for the review. The girl's name will be revealed shortly. I didn't want to reveal it sooner, it would ruin some of the mystery about her.

Nocturnal-Panda: Thank you for your review as well! If my story becomes popular enough and I have enough requests for a hiccup/OC fanfic, then perhaps I'll write one after. (:

And now for the third chapter!

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><p>The entire village was in an uproar! This is the first time since the Vikings first came to Berk that another had appeared. Stoic bolted down the trail to the docks, barking out orders to get the village ready for the unexpected arrival. "Get me blankets and furs! We need to set up a nesting area by a fireplace. And make it secure! No one goes in or out of the place without my permission!" A few fellow Vikings nodded and headed off to their appointed tasks. Just as Stoic was about the enter the dock area, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs had returned. "You three!" Stoic called to them. "Go get an infirmary area set up pronto! Gobbler will go with you." The three looked at each other momentarily, confused as to why the sudden panicking village. "GO!" Stoic shouted again and the three jumped, somewhat falling off their grounded dragons. "What the hell is going on?" Tuffnut growled. "Beats me, but I don't want to get on Stoic's bad side." Fishlegs intervened as the three scurried off. "Looks like our party's cancelled." Ruffnut moaned, pushing her brother forward like she always does. 'Hey!" Tuffnut screeched as he was forced to straighten out his helmet.<p>

Once he was sure the three were on their way, Stoic turned back to the horizon, watching carefully in anticipation. What was only moments felt like an eternity. The ocean looked calm, and despite the sun being high in the sky, it was still quite cold. There were hints of some leaves here and there on plants beginning to change to go to sleep for the winter that was still far off. It seemed the entire village had fallen silent at that moment. The suspense could kill a man. Suddenly, the bell upon one of the lookout towers chimed with a deep clear ring. Stoic's heart skipped a beat as he saw the three come into sight, towing a small wood boat behind them.

Stoic was the first to be at the edge of the dock, pulling the boat snug against it with mighty force, but still a gentle touch. A few Vikings rushed to secure the boat to the dock as he jumped down onto the small deck. "Blankets and furs now!" he called, a panicked looking woman passed a pile to him without delay, following close behind him onto the boat.

Astrid was spot on in her message. The girl barely even looked alive and what she was wrapping herself around was quite large indeed. The blonde Viking herself came bursting in, a blanket and large fur in her hand. She moved around Stoic and slipped the girl's cargo from her loosened grip, wrapping it snugly within the soft brown fur pelt. "She needs to be wrapped up too…and I don't think she's eaten in at least a week." Astrid warned the village chief. He nodded and turned back to the girl. "Thank you Astrid, you know where to take that." Indeed she did, it needed to remain warm and the one who had set up a place for it led her there.

Some gasped, holding their breaths or whispering to one another as Stoic emerged from the small barge. Carried in his massive arms was the girl, the only thing you could really see of her was her black hair that even covered her face. The rest of her had been wrapped up by blankets, tightly like some kind of cocoon. Stoic couldn't help but shake his head. The girl felt ice cold when he began to wrap her up in the barge cabin. The clothes she was wearing was not made for the northern climate they live in. Stoic did not run now, but he remained swift in his strides.

Just as he approached one of the buildings, Fishlegs had opened the door to go tell Stoic that the infirmary had been set up. But seeing Stoic already there, he jumped back and moved out of the way swiftly. He couldn't really bring himself to speak as their leader moved over to the bed that Grobbler directed him to. "Is she still alive?" Grobbler inquired. "Just barely." Stoic responded as he set her down. "She needs water and soft food, I doubt she can chew anything tough." Ruufnut and Tuffnut were off to the side, just kind of watching the whole ordeal until Ruffnut spoke up. "Guess she'll just starve to death then." Tuffnut couldn't help but add to that remark. " 'Cause all our food here is tough to chew." The both snickered before Grobbler gave them the boot. "Get outa here you two." He called after them, shooing them out the door and closing it behind him. Stoic had already started unwrapping the girl from the blankets. "She has wounds that must be treated, some look to be infected." Grobbler listened intently to Stoic's assessment. They needed someone with more medical expertise to revive the girl. "I'll go get some food and water for her. She's gonna need a bath." Gobbler decided as he too, headed out. "I'll fetch one of the women to take care of that."

Stoic nodded again as he continued to try to make the girl more comfortable. It was still chilly, but at least being indoors, he can have some small, controlled fire inside to heat the building. And he did just that. When one of the village women entered, Stoic was stoking a fire that he had already gotten blazing nicely. "So this is the girl they found hey? Poor thing." The woman cooed as she went to the girls bedside. She felt around, looking to see what sort of condition she was in. "I can't guarantee she'll even survive past the night, but I'll try my best Stoic. For now, we just have to have faith that our guest will pull through." With that, Stoic exited the building. He will check up on the girl again in the evening, and the next morning.

Three days had passed since Burk welcomed their visitor in a state of urgency. Stoic had been in regularly to check up on her. The few times she was awake, they tried to feed her and give her water. They were unsure whether or not she was getting any better. "What in heaven and earth happened to this child…" Stoic thought out loud as he exited the building after checking up on the girl again. This time, Hiccup and his gang were outside waiting. "Well?" Hiccup began. "How is she?" Stoic let out a loud sigh. "We don't know. It doesn't seem like she's gotten better." There was a rather torn expression on the chiefs face as he took off to take care of other duties. Tuffnut turned to Astrid, who was hugging Hiccup's arm. "You're the only one besides Stoic and that woman who knows what she looks like. Care to share?" Ruffnut always felt the need to try to finish what Tuffnut said, even though sometimes it wasn't what Tuffnut had meant. "If she hideous?" Ruffnut inquired. Astrid shook her head. "I couldn't tell much, she was covered in dirt." Snotlout pushed his way through the group. "Well lets go in and see." Hiccup was going to suggest otherwise, but Snotlout was bigger than him, and when the twins pushed through as well, it was kind of decided for him.

The door creaked as they pushed it open rather slowly. The building was somewhat dark, and very warm. It's obvious that the fire has been going for the three days straight. They manoeuvred through the building until they got to the room in which the girl was being kept. The light of the fire gave the room a soft golden ambiance, and there, laying in the bed fast asleep was the girl, covered by furs to keep warm. Her hair, however, was still covering most of her face. Tuffnut moved up to the head of the girls bed, and reached out curiously to move the hair from her face. Ruffnut punched him in the other arm before he could reach her. He flinched back momentarily. "Ow! What was that for?" Ruffnut growled. "Don't do that, you'll wake her." A very awkwardly confused expression wiped across her brothers face. "Since when have you ever cared." Ruffnut thought for a moment. "Good point." Tuffnut shook his head and reached back to the girl.

Her hair felt soft and fine. Not at all like the thick coarse Viking hair. It was almost like a new sensation for Tuffnut really. They all gasped, something people there seemed to do a lot. "She's really pretty…" Fishlegs awed. Hiccup wasn't really interested though, his heart was Astrid's after all. Snotlout on the other hand grew a smirk across his face. They didn't really want to know what he was thinking. "Y-yeah…she is…" Tuffnut stuttered unable to look away from the sleeping girl.

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><p>Awe, Tuffnut just laid eyes on what will be the love of his life. How cute! I'll probably reveal the girls name in chapter four. Yes, I do actually have a name for her.<p>

See you in Chapter Four!


	4. Chapter 4: Food and Loyalties

Chapter Four: Food and Loyalties

Once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed my story. Especially with the formatting feedback. This will help me a lot with my story.

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><p>Every day now, that Stoic leaves the infirmary, it seems there is a little bit more hope on his face than the last. No one could really explain why the girl just started coming around slowly. At the same time as she began to get better, the supposed egg that was snug by a blazing fire finally started taking in the heat and began to warm. The village wasn't going to question it much. They were more concerned with their daily lives, and only a little bit on the visitor's wellbeing.<p>

It was one not so special day, about a week and a half after the girl arrived to Berk, Stoic exited the infirmary, chuckling to himself. The villages nearby gathered from curiosity. Some of the villagers whispered amongst themselves, wondering if Stoic had lost his mind. And with some good news, Stoic raised his head to make an announcement.

"The child has survived!" He began. Many of the villages faces brightened. "We hope to see her fully recovered within the next few days. Let us prepare to properly welcome her to our island."

"Does she have a name, Stoic?" One village woman shouted from behind a small group of others paying attention.

"Aye, I have her name. It is Millia. A last name, she did not tell me." answered Stoic. The village seemed pleased, but estranged by her name as well. It wasn't the type of names Vikings gave to their children to scare off the gnomes and trolls. Rather, the name sounded pleasant and gentle. Still, it was her name none-the-less and they had to accept that.

Throughout the day, the woman who had been caring for Millia since her arrival had constantly been disrupted by knocks on the door. Every time she answered, it was someone with some kind of gift, usually a pelt, food, or some random object. The only thing the woman accepted for the girl were garments that would fit her so she would not freeze while walking about the village.

"Here you go darling, some warm clothes that will fit you. Come now, put them on and I'll take you to the mess hall for some real food," The woman cooed to the girl who shakily pushed herself off the bed.

"Thank you Birna…" responded Millia graciously taking the clothes from her caretaker. Millia looked forward to having a real solid meal for the first time in a while. All the softened food kept her weak, and she very much wanted to get the rest of her strength back.

The evening had come all too soon when Millia and Birna left the infirmary to go to the mess hall. Millia still had a hard time walking, her feet were bruised and still healing from the receding infections in her scrapes. She held on to her caretakers arm, being guided carefully to one of the largest buildings in Berk. The stars were shining brightly and the dragons were nestling down to sleep for the night. The air was cool and crisp which felt fresh to Millia's nostrils. She took a few deep breaths in, taking in the scents of surrounding forests, the ocean mist, and the smell of meats being roasted in stone ovens. The smells made her stomach rumble in anticipation.

Inside, there were many people gathered at the tables. It must be that time of evening when they gather for their meal. Birna led Millia to an empty table. It was set up with bench seating, and all made of wood, not the most comfortable thing, but it beat laying down all the time.

"Stay here Millia and I'll go get you your food." said Birna as she patted her on the shoulder as she took off for the kitchen.  
>Millia gazed around the area cautiously. Her hair still fell loosely into her face as usual with nothing to tie it back. The roaring laughter of the men and woman about the room made her feel very uneasy. They were quite brute and rough people it seemed. Millia was unsure whether or not this was a place she can feel safe. Her shoulders seemed to be at a constant clench, up to her ears with her hands balled together and pressed just above her chest. As a man passed behind her, hollering about in their stories of warfare, Millia would twitch or jump slightly. A small yelp came from her mouth when Birna sat back down, plopping the two plates of food down somewhat violently, followed by two pints of goats milk, one for Millia, and one for herself. "Now eat up darling. Get yer strength back," said Birna.<p>

Even though Millia was looking forward to the meal, she still hadn't gotten her appetite back either. She took small bites, pulling the pieces of food under her dangling hair and to her lips. Birna took note of this and shouted across the room to a group of teenagers all crowded around one table eating together.

"Ruffnut! Astrid! C'mere," called Birna. The two girls twisted around in their seats when their names were called. It seemed Birna needed a bit of help or something along those lines. The boys as well turned their heads, and were a little surprised to see Millia sitting in the mess hall, awake. The girls didn't really hesitate as they scooted the three tables down to sit across from Millia and Birna.

"Girls, can you please help Millia with her hair, it's in her way and I'm rather busy." Birna thought this would be a good way as well for Millia to make some new friends, even if it meant only pretending that she was busy.

The girls glanced at each other, Ruffnut looked apathetic to the whole request, but Astrid didn't seem to mind. Astrid nodded in affirmation and moved around to sit beside Milla.

"Well, I'll leave you girls to it then," chuckled Birna as she took off with what was left of her own dinner.

Ruffnut moved to the other side of Millia rather lazily. "Okay I may be a girl, but that doesn't mean I like doing girlie things…" The twin spewed between chewing on her food. Astrid rolled her eyes at her friend.

"This will be good for Millia, she needs some friends." said Astrid. Ruffnut groaned and pulled some of Millia's hair back a bit. The minute she realized just how soft and fine each midnight black strand was, she became mesmerized.

"Woah….you have soft hair…" Ruffnut mumbled. Millia still seemed terrified from everyone though, even the girls. "T-thank you…." Millia squeaked very quietly.

"It's okay Millia, you don't have to be scared here. We're your friends." Astrid cooed. Millia managed a tiny little nod, but she wasn't quite sure. It was a new place after all. She was most scared of accidentally angering a Viking and having them go berserk. The girls were soon joined by Hiccup, but the other boys had already finished up with their meals and headed out to tend to their dragons before the night was out.

WHAM! A small blade came crashing down into the fine wood table. One of the bar wenches that was sitting on the scraggly man's lap jumped and moved away from the group.

"We need to find her gentlemen. She is far more valuable than any of you could possibly imagine." One of the well dressed bodyguards proclaimed to the rest. His metal suit of armor clanked against his chain mail. The man sitting in front of the large roll of parchment in which a map of Europe was drawn pondered to himself before speaking.

"M'yes. Indeed, very valuable… Mr. Rothingwood, could you tell me which way the girl went in the boat?" The old fisherman glanced down at the map, more specifically the mark where she was last seen. On that beach, stealing the fisherman's boat. He pointed northward.

"She went this way Lord Cecil," replied the fisherman. The lord leaned forward to get a better look at where the man pointed. "But that is out into the middle of the sea. She could not have survived," A knight proclaimed, being coy with the fisherman's words. The lord pondered to himself once again.

"Sir Wilfred, heed what you say wisely. It was your niece that stole the egg, remember that," Cecil coyed back. Sir Wilfred withdrew and bowed. "Yes sir. I am sorry sir," replied the knight, conflicted within himself. He knew in his heart that his niece would not betray her people, her family. She loved them dearly. It made Wilfred doubt his loyalties.

"Sir Wilfred, take an armada north, take the fisherman with you, we'll need him to help identify the stolen vessel. Do not stop until she is found," Lord Cecil barked. Wilfred bowed again and took his leave.

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><p>Introduce: The Antagonist! Well….one of them. I hope my story formatting is better in this chapter. If I forgot some things, please let me know. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.<p>

See you in Chapter Five!


	5. Chapter 5: Weapons

Chapter Five: Weapons

Okay, I'm trying something a little different for this chapter with the formatting. The double line indicates a break between the story and OOC, and just one line indicates a change in scenery since I'm switching between the Protagonists and the Antagonists.

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><p>"<em>Take this my child…. Flee… it is our only hope," a busty middle-aged woman handed Millia a spherical cloth, half panicked. <em>

"_But mother! That's…." Millia tried to protest, but her mother was already shooing her out the room and into the arms of her uncle. "Uncle Wilfred?" gasped Millia in surprise_

_Wilfred continued to guide his niece out a back passageway. The walls were made of stone blocks, and had always given her the chills. If it wasn't for the torch her uncle carried, they would have gotten lost in the labyrinth of tunnels. She could hear the sounds of thunderous claps form the storm raging outside. _

"_Uncle?" Millia tried to get his attention. Wilfred turned to his niece, setting the torch in a wall clamp. _

"_Millia listen to me. This egg must survive, keep it warm. You know its importance." Millia nodded her head vigorously, still in disbelief as to what is happening and so soon. Suddenly, Millia heard a shriek echo from the direction they just came from. "Mother?…..MOTHER!"_

A holler burst forth in the middle of the night as Millia jumped up to sit from sleep. She was sweating and panting wildly, trying to get her bearings. That was until she recognized the wooden arches and cobblestone walls. She was safely in Berk, away from the people who were after her. Another deep breath calmed her racing heart and she hopped out of the fur-laden bed, slipping the boots gifted to her over the warm wool socks.

"It was just a dream…" Millia tried to convince herself as she moved to go outside for a breath of fresh air.

It must have been considered a warmer night than usual, some of the dragon's were still awake, either that or they have night watches. Millia had told Stoic before that there may be others coming to look for her, in that she mustn't be found. This must be a precaution Stoic is taking, though she didn't know how the village was before she came as far as security went.

Millia stumbled about, still unable to walk normally, as she peaked around the corner of another building in which she saw light, and heard the clinging of metal. Upon gazing around, she found Hiccup working hard at putting together new weapon designs.

"Uhm, Hiccup is it?" Millia quietly spoke up, staying a little ways away from the roar of the fire or any hot metals. Toothless was laying just a little off from where Hiccup was working, keeping the fire in the kiln stoked with his blue flames. Millia gazed at the marvellous creature in awe before Hiccup's reply recaptured her attention.

"Uhh Millia, hi. What brings you here?" asked Hiccup as he dipped some newly formed bolts into a bucket of water. The sizzling of the metal in the cold water made Millia feel uneasy.

"Uhm, I couldn't sleep…what are you doing?" replied the girl with great interest, especially when she spotted his weapon designs on a nearby counter. Hiccup smiled, glad that someone was actually showing an interest in his work for once, aside from Astrid of course.

"I'm building a projectile weapon. Something we can fire at an enemy at long range. Our dragons can only shoot fire to a certain distance without putting themselves in danger, with the exception of Toothless of course." explained Hiccup. Toothless snorted, as if to say 'well duh'. Millia nodded, intrigued by the boys tactics.

Just as Hiccup began explaining how the weapon worked, Tuffnut came around the corner, pulling a cart with more building supplies. "I dunno what you need all this for Hiccup, but I bet it'll be aweso…" Tuffnut was rendered speechless when he caught sight of Millia at the counter, but only for a moment.

"What is she doing here?" Tuffnut half-barked, mostly wondering why a girl was there, and not just any girl, but the one girl that probably didn't have a tough Viking-like bone in her body. Millia jumped and dived in behind Toothless away from Tuffnut's view.

"What did I say?" Tuffnut questioned Hiccup, holding his shoulders in a shrug. Hiccup rolled his eyes and tried to pull the girl back out who was peeking from behind Toothless' wing. She was oddly strong for such a frail girl. Toothless didn't seem to have a problem moving her though as he wrapped his tail around her torso and lifted her into the air. Millia squeaked in fright as her feet left the ground, and yelped when Toothless dropped her in the right spot to land in Tuffnut's arms.

"Well, it looks like Toothless preferred to get the introductions out of the way… Tuffnut, meet Millia, Millia, this is Tuffnut. You met his twin Ruffnut yesterday during dinner," he awkwardly introduced the two, still holding onto each other for those few moments. When Millia finally got a solid footing on the ground where she wouldn't fall over, she pushed herself away from Tuffnut's rather strong and sturdy hold.

"T-thank you for catching me Tuffnut. I'm pleased to meet you." Millia stuttered in her words, unable to look Tuffnut in the eye. Tuffnut just nodded. "Y-yeah…back at yah…" was all he managed to say before Hiccup intervened.

"Anyways, Tuffnut you can bring the supplies over and put them beside the counter. " Tuffnut nodded and did just that. As he was unloading the wheelbarrow, he couldn't help but notice that Millia was studying Hiccup's designs intently.

"Why are you making new weapons Hiccup? Birna told me your war with the dragons ended," inquired Millia, trying not to pay attention to Tuffnut, who seemed like he was grunting a bit while moving supplies. Hiccup knew instantly that Tuffnut was just showing off a little bit to Millia. Toothless let out a growl like scoff at the display.

"Dad told me that there were hostile people chasing you Millia. No doubt they would come by sea. Being on high ground would give us the advantage if they should come here and attack. I just want us to be prepared." explained Hiccup as he dipped some more newly formed pieces of metal into the bucket of water. Steam rose up from the sizzling metal. Millia contemplated his answer for a moment.

"You are right to want to be prepared Hiccup." Millia began. "My people possess weapons that out-range most of your dragons. I fear your flying friends would easily be eliminated."

Hiccup, Toothless, and Tuffnut looked at each other momentarily before settling into some chairs on either side of Millia, with the exception of Toothless who stayed where he was. Millia spent the majority of the night explaining to them what kind of weapons her people had, and were developing. The boys couldn't believe what they heard. It sounded like some kind of sorcery.

"It's not sorcery Tuffnut, all I know is that these mineral powders are highly explosive when hit with some kind of flame." explained Millia. "Think of it as a man-made version of the gas your dragon's emit before setting them aflame."

The boys nodded their heads. "We can use this to our advantage." said Hiccup, contemplating the information carefully.

"Yeah? And what about those crossbows Millia was talking about? Those could take out our dragons in mid-flight easily." questioned Tuffnut. Toothless snorted again with his haughty attitude, convinced that he could out-fly the arrows anyways. Tuffnut didn't want to admit, but he kind of liked saying her name. While Viking names tasted bitter to roll off the tongue, her name has a kind of sweetness to it, just like her soft light skin and even softer midnight hair. This girl seemed so frail, not at all like the people of their village. Tuffnut was both confused and yearning for more new sensations. Dare he say, he felt protective over this girl? Preposterous! She wasn't even a Viking! Tuffnut shook his head of the thoughts and kept his attention to the situation at hand.

Sir Wilfred kept his eyes on the horizon as the armada sailed north. They stopped at any port on the mainland they found on the way, the boat nor the girl was in sight. As much as the men questioned, they could not find her.

"I hope, Sir Wilfred, that you aren't secretly glad we have not found that criminal yet. Lord Cecil wouldn't be too pleased to hear of your betrayal in that case." A rather tall, crooked-looking man stood to the left of Sir Wilfred, sneering with an equally twisted smile.

"Larzel, Did Lord Cecil send you? I thought I caught your wretched scent off one of my ships," coyed Wilfred. It was obvious the two didn't get along. Larzel cackled and adjusted his dark velvet-like pin-coat.

"But of course. Someone had to make sure the job got done after all. That criminal is a slippery one," Larzel sneered. Wilfred's face crinkled into a frown.

"That criminal, Larzel, has a name." Wilfred attempted to defend his niece without sounding like he's betraying his Lord. Larzel's sneer turned into a frown.

"Myess…. Millia is it. Still…the child betrayed her people." stated Larzel. Wilfred didn't say much after that, but his attitude has turned down for most of the day.

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><p>Alright. That's it for Chapter Five! Thank you again for everyone who is reading my fanfic and please keep reviewing!<p>

See you in Chapter six!


	6. Chapter 6: The Bond

Chapter Six: The Bond.

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><p>Tuffnut yawned, stretching his mouth wide, a little too wide as Ruffnut took the opportunity to stuff a roasted bird in his mouth. His sister snickered as she passed him, pushing his helmet to cover his eyes and headed down from their house to the dragon stables. Tuffnut struggled momentarily, mostly trying to get the roasted bird out of his mouth. As soon as he was freed from the awkwardness, he straightened his helmet and continued down to the stable, taking a bite out of one of the legs. Might as well, it was food after all. He grumbled to himself on the way down about his sisters antics.<p>

"Ugh… Millia wouldn't have done that…" He said quietly to himself as he lifted a barrel of fish, dumping them into a large feeding bowl for the dragons. He shifted through the fish, pulling out the eel and other bit's the dragons didn't like. Before he realized it, he found himself daydreaming of her. It was a pretty stereotypical Viking-like daydream. Millia stuck up in a tower, knights were at the door below laying siege, setting the building on fire. She was calling out for Tuffnut to rescue her but to no avail. And suddenly he appeared behind the men, taking them out in only a few fell swipes. Tuffnut beckoned Millia to jump down… and for some reason she was wearing a purple dress too. One knight burst through her door and she was forced to jump. Luckily, Tuffnut caught her. In his daydream of this scene, she was about to give him a kiss when all of a sudden, the Millia he imagined in his arms turned into Fishlegs.

"Tuffnut! Tuffnut!" Fishlegs called, snapping the Viking boy out of his imaginations.

"What?" growled Tuffnut. The best part of his daydream was just ruined. Fishlegs jumped slightly at Tuffnut's ferocity. Fishlegs pushed his two index fingers together timidly.

"Stoic is calling for a meeting of the entire village," Fishlegs managed to say, cowering and hoping that Tuffnut wouldn't hit him. Tuffnut's scowl turned into more of a surprised expression.

"Oh, okay," Tuffnut put the bucket of eel and whatnot aside so the dragons could get their breakfast. "Let's go," He called back to Fishlegs.

On the way to the Hall, Tuffnut turned the corner to find Snotlout and Ruffnut were escorting Millia. She was mostly holding onto Ruffnut for balance, and Snotlout was blabbing away to Millia, trying to impress her with his made-up stories of heroics. Ruffnut shooting down a lot of them which made Millia laugh. Snotlout shot a glance at Tuffnut, a smug grin upon his face. Something about it irked Tuffnut, but he couldn't put his finger on it. However, Tuffnut was glad to see that Millia was walking better today. She must be healing nicely. Though, Millia didn't seem all that comfortable with his sister and Snotlout. It was, however, some what comforting to Tuffnut in his own twisted way.

In the Hall, Tuffnut sat beside his sister as usual with the rest of the gang. Millia was sitting up beside Stoic at the head of the table, and Gobbler on his other side. Every one wondered why Stoic had called for a village meeting. As the village crowded around the table, it seemed every one was talking amongst themselves. A growl-like holler called out to quiet the masses, followed by a bang on the table with a metal cup.

"Quiet every one! Settle down!" Stoic bellowed above the voices of every one else. They all seemed to settle down quite quickly, it was no surprise that they all respected their village chief. Once the village had in fact settled and turned their attention to Stoic, he took a deep breath and began.

"First of all, myself and the village would like to formally welcome Millia to our village. Already, she has been a ray of sunshine and a valuable member on our island." Many of the villagers applauded for Millia, this of which has made her smile sweetly. When Tuffnut saw her smile, he felt his stone heart melt. Apparently it made many of the villagers' hearts melt as well.

"Thank you Stoic, every one. It's an honour to be here," replied Millia. Every one settled down again though as Stoic waved them to finish their applaud.

"That being said. Millia has also provided us with valuable information. As much as we all wish it weren't so, there is suspicions that Millia is being pursued by her people. I had sent scouts days ago to the main lands in hopes of verifying this suspicion. They returned just last night with confirmation. There is an armada of ships from the south that are heading northward. The rumours spreading amongst the mainland ports say they are looking for a girl that fits Millia's description. The scouts have not seen the armada, but if there are rumours about it on the mainland, then surely there must be pursuers," Stoic allowed the villagers to talk amongst themselves for a few moments, until Hiccup stood up from his seat. Stoic waved the villagers silent once again so that Hiccup may speak.

"Millia has indeed provided us with a lot of valuable information, including the weapons her people would be bringing with them. Unfortunately, our short range weapons are quite pointless against them. They rely on long range attacks that not even our Dragons and catapults can reach," Hiccup passed around copies of sketches made of the said weapons, the village once again went into an uproar of chatter.

"If we are to win a battle with them, then we must use tactics, and prepare ourselves accordingly," Hiccup finally finished, sitting back down beside Astrid who patted him on the back to say 'good job'.

"We have come up with a few plans. Those that fly dragons will have to train in making their dragons more agile in the air than they already are. Hiccup has also been developing long ranged weapons to use on the cliffs. We have the advantage being so high above sea level," Stoic continued. Some of the Vikings gained a little bit of hope in their eyes.

"Our first plan, will be to try to avoid conflict however. We must convince them that Millia had never been here. Act as if we do not know what they are talking about. And we will hide her and the egg," finished Stoic. Some of the villagers preferred that idea the best it seemed. Others seemed to voice that they'd rather let a battle break out, stuck in the old ways I suppose.

"Where will we hide the child though? Our island it small. And armada of troops would surely find her here," One villager asked rather loudly above the other voices. Stoic nodded in acknowledgement.

"We will hide her and the egg at Hellheim's Gate," the village continued to mutter amongst themselves. They had not gone to the Dragon's nest since Hiccup defeated the Red Death those few years ago.

The meeting went on for at least a few hours. It was around lunch when they finally got out. Hiccup and the others were going to the mess hall for their mid-day meal. Astrid and Ruffnut helped Millia there even though she only slightly needed the help of one, bringing her to sit at the table with the rest of the gang, Asrid moved to sit across between Hiccup and Fishlegs. Snotlout took a seat to Millia's left, and Tuffnut sat to her right, with Ruffnut at the very end beside her brother.

It seemed like a typical lunch for the group. Millia was rather quiet, and only picked at her meal. She was more busy cowering away from Snotlout who kept trying to lay down pickup lines on her.

"She doesn't like you doing that Snotlout." growled Ruffnut, standing up and using Tuffnut as something to push against to prop herself up. It didn't really work that well when Tuffnut's helmet slid down to cover his eyes again, only this time, his helmet fell off completely and landed in his food.

Tuffnut felt enraged at his sister for ruining his lunch. A very angry face stared at Ruffnut, something she was used to. Ruffnut gave a forced smile at her brother. In the last few years not only has he grown a bit bigger and taller than her, but he also hasn't been all that sadistic. They still bug each other, but he doesn't go out of his way to torture her so much anymore.

"Oops," was all Ruffnut said to her brother in a very sarcastic tone. One could hear a low growl emerge from Tuffnut's throat.

"That does it!" Tuffnut hollered and winded his arm back with quite a bit of speed to throw a punch at her. But before he could finish winding his arm back, he felt something come in contact with the back of his fist paired with a high pitched yelp. Tuffnut turned around rapidly to find Millia clutching the side of her face with her hands. Her eyes were wide with shock and disbelief as to what just happened. The second Tuffnut clued in to what just happened, he reached towards her in a bit of a panic.

"Millia! I am so sor…" Tuffnut was cut off from a quiet, fearful gasp from the girl as she flinched away from Tuffnut's reach. Tuffnut stopped only inches away from making contact with his reach. He paused for a few minutes, shocked himself, confused, until he receded back to sitting beside his sister, pulling his hands lazily into his lap. His chin fell towards his chest as he began to slouch.

Millia managed to get up, with a rather upset expression on her face. She excused herself from the table and clumsily took off outside somewhere. Every one at the table seemed silent for a moment until Snotlout decided to break the silence.

"Nice going Tuffnut. Now she's scared of us… well, just you actually," he chimed with a snicker, giving Tuff nut a friendly punch in the arm, but Tuffnut didn't seem to react. Astrid returned the favour by smacking Snotlout clear across the face with her wooden meal tray.

"Ow!" hollered Snotlout, rubbing his throbbing face. Astrid growled at him. "That's enough out of you."

Tuffnut jumped out of his seat and stormed off outside. "Is he going after her?" asked Fishlegs. The rest just shrugged and continued eating their meal.

Outside, Tuffnut moved down towards the stables, stomping angrily at himself, and mumbling along the way until he reached a large tree. Thinking he had nothing else to loose, he started banging his head against it.

"I'm stupid! Stupid ! Stupid!" He quietly called out each time he hit his head against the trunk. After the fourth time, a squirrel jumped out, landing directly on his head. Tuffnut paused, somewhat scared to move. The squirrel sniffed around for a moment and came down his face. Tuffnut cringed, hoping the small woodland creature would not bite his nose. But alas, he had bad luck today, and the pain shot from his nose caused him to shout out as the squirrel bit down and ran off.

"Ugh, I guess I deserve that," he mumbled to himself. He continued on, rubbing his nose until he saw her. Millia was sitting on a low boulder overlooking the sea. Her stomach was growling a bit since she hadn't really gotten much of a chance to eat before taking off. She still held her cheek with one of her hands where Tuffnut accidentally hit her. The afternoon was clear and sunny with that fresh mist of the ocean drifting up from the docks below.

"You must be really scared of me, huh," he began. Millia looked back to find him approaching her with a slow slouch in his walk. He stopped when he reached beside her, but didn't sit down. Millia contemplated to herself for a moment.

"Nearly everyone here scares me. Especially Snotlout." she admitted openly. Tuffnut gazed down towards her. A guilty look on his face for the harm he caused her.

"Millia, I am sorry. That was an accident. Please, don't be afraid of me. I would never purposefully do anything to hurt you," begged Tuffnut. This was a new side to him. Usually he didn't care about others, but I guess that's what happens to a man that falls in love. Millia let the hand on her cheek fall to her lap.

"You can sit down if you like…" she managed to say. He took the invite and sat beside her, but not too close to make her feel uncomfortable like what Snotlout was doing earlier.

"In my culture, we aren't as rough with one another as Vikings. Women have to wear dresses all the time and are treated as frail, helpless beings. Even the men aren't so rough between each other, for the most part anyways. It will take me some getting used to being in Berk, I do not wish to leave this place." explained Millia. Tuffnut took what she said into consideration. Millia wiggled herself closer to Tuffnut without him even realizing it.

"I accept your apology Tuffnut. W-will you do something for me?" she asked. Tuffnut turned to her in surprise and curiosity, and also shock that she somehow got closer to him. "Anything Millia…" he replied, and was taken aback by the rosy pigment that emerged in her cheeks and nose.

"Uhm…will you, uh, will you be my protector? When they come… can you promise me you won't leave me?" she couldn't bring herself to look at the young man when she asked. Instead, she kept her eyes on her feet. Tuffnut's eyes widened by her request. Was this a dream come true for him? Was she actually asking him to be her knight in Viking armor? Tuffnut had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Ow!" He flinched at the pinch. Millia looked up at what he was doing, a slightly confused expression on her face, but she couldn't help but let out a little giggle.

"Tuffnut, help me up? I think I'm ready to go back to the mess hall. I'm still quite hungry." admitted Millia. Tuffnut smirked and got up, turning to hold his hands out to Millia, who in turn took them and pulled herself up. For the rest of the day, it seemed like the two were inseparable.

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><p>Wow! That chapter was longer than usual. Lol.<p>

See you in Chapter 7!


	7. Chapter 7: Can't Escape

Chapter Seven: Cannot Escape

Hi there! Thank you to all those who have added my story to their favorites!

My apologies about taking a while to get this chapter out. I've been busy with other things lately.

I've re-read all the chapters I've written in this story thus far, and noticed the description is gradually declining. So! I shall start to make a more conscious effort to include more description without letting the action and dialogue suffer. Also I noticed I've been making Tuffnut a bit of a nancy-boy, don't worry, there's still some good 'ol Tuffnut moments to come. I just wanted to establish his emotions towards the OC.

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><p>"<em>A person often meets his destiny on the road he took at avoid it." ~Jean de la Fontaine<em>

Such a saying that had not yet come to be in this era couldn't be more true for this tale. With the island of Berk still clueless about the entire reason why Millia and the egg were there, suspicion has been growing. As time went on, new weapons were created, and the villagers and dragons trained for the coming onslaught; many villagers grew curious of Millia's secrets. Whispers emerged among the men and women, making up stories as to how she ended up in their midst. All of course were rumours created from the over-imaginative, and the overly curious. Millia paid no attention to them. She knew what was coming and she wanted to protect the village to the best of her abilities.

"I don't care if you would rather fight them. They aren't after any of you. They just want myself and the egg. We must go with the initial plan! I couldn't bare to put any of you in danger. A fight is not necessary!" Millia hollered above some of the out shouting voices. Some of the elders thought it best to just outright fight them instead, and took it upon themselves to convince the rest of the village as well. It had been a week since they started preparing for the arrival of the armada. Millia had gotten her strength back and was fully healed, walking normally. Tuffnut partially wished she hadn't so she could continue leaning on him for support. Sometimes, he got to carry her if it involved going up or down any stairs. He liked being close like that to her. Though he hadn't known her for very long, when this was all over, he wanted to ask Millia to be his woman. He was of age now to do so, freshly coming into adulthood and all.

Stoic piped up, upset that the village would rather risk throwing their lives away when it wasn't necessary. "That's enough!" raged Stoic, and the entire village quieted again. Millia and Birna both admired how Stoic was able to do that. Birna in particular. Millia noticed the dewy eyed gaze she developed when ever it came to the chief. Millia chuckled at the schoolgirl crush she witnessed right in front of her.

"We go with our initial plan. Fighting will only be our last resort. This meeting is dismissed." he finalized the plans then and there. The elders couldn't bring themselves to argue much further. Millia leaned back in her chair and sighed with relief. _That was a little too close…_ she thought to herself before getting up. Unfortunately, the others Millia's age were not permitted in that meeting. Tuffnut and the others waited outside impatiently.

"Aren't they done yet?" moaned Snotlout, sitting on a log trying not to fall asleep. Ruffnut and Tuffnut teamed up to go on each others shoulders to try to look inside, but the twins couldn't agree who would be on the bottom and who would get to look through the window, so they spent the majority of the time fighting over it. Fishlegs was going off on a tangent as usual about his imaginations on what the enemy would be like with Astrid and Hiccup being forced to listen.

As the adults began to file out of the meeting hall, the group stood up anxiously, waiting for Millia to emerge out. Tuffnut had managed to push himself to the front of the group, something both Ruffnut and Snotlout took a great notice in. Astrid and Hiccup knew how much Millia and Tuffnut have been spending time together. In fact, they had a running bet to see who would confess to one another first. Fishlegs really didn't care about it all. He was more interested in studying the dragons and amending the classification books. Snotlout on the other hand, felt stabs of jealousy. Over the last week or so, he's become less friendly to Tuffnut in a very subtle way, especially when it came to Millia. Speaking of which, Millia finally emerged from the hall and became surrounded by her new friends

"Well? How did it go?" asked Astrid. The others mumbled in echo of her question. Millia had a worried look on her face at first, but it quickly softened into a small smile.

"Crisis averted. We're going to go ahead with the original plans." replied Millia. The group seemed to sigh with relief just as she had earlier.

"So Millia," Snotlout began. "About our date. I was thinking a lovely stroll in the forest, maybe have a picnic, you girls like picnics right?" he intervened, side-checking Tuffnut away from Millia. Unfortunately it was a little too rough and Tuffnut took a bit of a nose dive into the dirt. Snotlout and Ruffnut both chuckled, but Millia rushed to his side, ignoring everything Snotlout just said.

"Tuffnut? You okay?" asked Millia. Tuffnut sat himself up and adjusted his helmet to fit properly again. Millia dusted him off a bit. Astrid and Hiccup couldn't help but chuckle, to them the love was so obvious.

"Yeah I'm fine." replied Tuffnut. However, not liking what he just witnessed, Snotlout pulled Millia back onto her feet.

"Millia, we have a date remember?" he attempted to pull her attention away from his friend on the ground. Millia yanked her arm out of his grasp angrily.

"I heard you the first time, and I never agreed to go on a date with you. Stop assuming." growled Millia. Which in her case wasn't the greatest of ideas. Not only did it infuriate Snotlout, but it also made him want her even more, something about always wanting what you can't have. Snotlout scowled, grabbing her arm once more.

"By the time this is all over Millia, you _will_ be mine. I guarantee it." threatened Snotlout. The young Viking let go of her arm and stormed off. By this time, Tuffnut had gotten back up, brushing himself off of what was left of the dust clinging to his brown fur vest.

"Sheesh, what crawled up his butt and died?" asked Ruffnut. Tuffnut waved a hand in front of his face, making a sour expression.

"What ever it is, it's letting off quite a stink. Pew!" joked Tuffnut. Every one in the group knew Tuff was referring to Snotlout's bad attitude and chuckled. All laughed but Millia and Astrid that is. Astrid never laughed at most of the jokes, unless they were extremely funny. And as for Millia, she was more worried about the threat. While Tuffnut's joke helped put her at ease a bit, she wondered if she was truly safe on the Berk. Astrid took notice and patted Millia on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about Snotlout. He's just frustrated because he's been trying to get a girlfriend for years and has failed every time. He's actually pretty harmless." cooed Astrid to their new friend. Millia gave her a small smile, though forced. While Millia believed Astrid's words, her gut was turning into knots. Something about it didn't feel quite right, and for people who knew Snotlout for a long time, would just easily dismiss it. Hiccup decided to approach Millia about the situation about the egg.

"Millia? Just why is your people after you and that egg? What's so special about the two of you that they would send an armada of ships?" asked Hiccup. This change in subject caught Millia a little off-guard. The rest of the group fell to silence. Millia might as well tell them, so they would know better as to what they are dealing with. She knew she couldn't keep it a secret forever…

Meanwhile, on the main land, the armada had stopped over at a northern port to refill their supplies and gain more intelligence. Wilfred was busy paying merchants of that city for food and other miscellaneous items they would need to continue their journey. Larzel on the other hand, was busy talking to some men of which he had connections to.

"I'm sure you've heard of our mission by now." said Larzel to a very shady-looking character. The man nodded in compliance.

"Yeah, we heard. You're looking for that girl. What's her name… Mia-something." muttered the man. Larzel sighed and shook his head.

"It's Millia. And she had a very precious piece of cargo that she stole from us. Has there been any sign of her here." demanded Larzel. The man shook his head, however a smirk ran across his face.

"Naw, not here sir. However, I may know where she might be. A few days ago, there were some Vikings here that seemed _very_ interested in your armada and it's location. Of course I didn't tell them anything." explained the man. Larzel perked up. Was this a lead to the location of the girl?

"Tell me, my dear friend…where do these…_Vikings _live exactly?" asked Larzel, wrapping his long lanky fingers around the man's opposite shoulder, guiding him into a back room of the port building they were in.

"They live on some island to the far North of here. It's at least a few days by ship. I can have one of my men take you there." he replied, feeling a little apprehensive about allowing Larzel to take him further away from the main door. Larzel had a very large grin upon his face and took some steps away from his accomplice.

"My dear sir, you have been most useful to me. But your services are no longer required, you are relieved." proclaimed Larzel in a very sinister voice as he signalled two of his men. They approached the man with their weapons ready. Upon realizing what was about the happen, the man panicked and begged for mercy. Larzel watched with great pleasure, behind him all you can see was the silhouette of the man being slaughtered, with his blood spraying across the wall.

"You were most useful indeed Sebastian…" Larzel jeered with a twisted cackle as he snaked out of the building and back to the army of ships that were nearly finished restocking, grabbing one Sebastian's men along with him. "Take me to the Vikings, _nave_."

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><p>Alright! End of Chapter 7! Let me know if my story rating is inappropriate for the content in this chapter and I'll adjust it accordingly.<p>

_See you guys in chapter 8!  
><em>


	8. Chapter 8: The Prophecy and First Flight

Chapter 8: The Prophecy and First Flight

Hey guys! Another big thanks goes out to those who have added my story to their favorites! And my apologies for it taking so long to get this Chapter out.

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><p>A small pebble went flying down the stone path to the training grounds, skipping and suddenly changing direction when it hit a rock on an angle and landed nearby. A kick of Tuffnuts boot sent it skipping forward again. His head hung somewhat low, he was slouched over more than usual in contemplation.<p>

"_My people are very religious. Superstition tends to be a dominant trait. There is a foretelling about fifty years old or so of a maiden who shares a higher connection to the beasts you call Dragons born in my homeland. It's said she will possess a very rare egg and within it is a dragon whose powers will topple entire kingdoms and in turn create nations. The prophecy says that the maiden and the dragon's souls and lives are directly linked together. If one suffers, so does the other. And if one dies, so does the other."_

_The group withdrew momentarily. Hiccup though, chose to spoke up. "And that maiden is you, isn't she?" Millia gazed at her friend, and at Tuffnut before bowing her head down slowly into a nod. Stoic, who was invited to listen to the story sat silently._

"_The rulers of my country are terrified that I will take away their power some day. So when the dragon's egg appeared before me, my mother and uncle sought to hide me. But, the Lord of the town I am from learnt of this and sent men to capture me. He wants to use me to control the dragon so that he may become ruler." explained Millia, she fumbled around with her hands in her lap nervously. _

"_Why not go to your rulers then from the beginning?" asked Astrid. However Millia just shook her head. _

"_Because when learning about the prophecy, they ordered the death of the maiden upon her discovery… but Lord Cecil, the one in control of my home town, still wants to use me. And that is why they've sent those ships north. I just barely escaped with my life coming here." rebutted Millia. Stoic nodded his head and stood up. _

"_Millia, you can feel safe at our village. We do not discriminate here, and we will stop them." confirmed the chief. Millia nodded in thanks and excused herself from the building they were in. _

Well, that's what happened. Tuffnut kicked another rock. He hadn't seen her since. She must have been making other preparations.

"Ugh I'm so angry!" stomped Tuffnut kicking the pebble a little too hard as it flew somewhere into a patch of brush. He didn't really know why he was angry though. He just knew that he didn't want Millia to be taken away from the village, away from him, ever.

"You can say that again." replied Ruffnut with the same apathy and disinterest as usual, who apparently was walking with him and he didn't even realize it. Tuffnut flinched to the side in surprise as he stared at his sister.

"You following me again?" he scowled. Ruffnut punched him in the gut with Tuffnut acting accordingly, sucking it in and crouching over a bit to soften the blow.

"No stupid, I'm following the trolls. Where's your head been lately," asked Ruffnut in more of a statement than a question. A growl escaped Tuffnut.

"None of yer business," he replied. That's when he saw her, trying to climb up onto a Nightmare, Astrid was helping her. Tuffnut couldn't help but affix his gaze upon her. That was until Ruffnut punched him again.

"I think you're in love! Oooooooo! Tuffnut's got the hots for Millia!" teased Ruffnut before getting punched back by her aggravated brother. The fact that Tuffnut didn't say anything to the harassment made Ruffnut finally clue in.

"Wait…you mean you're actually in love with her?" questioned his sister. Tuffnut still remained silent as they continued forward with Ruffnut keeping up a stride behind to his left.

"Wow, I never took you for the kind of guy to like fragile girls, and I'm your sister, I should know these things," pondered Ruffnut.

"Just like you didn't know about my birthmark?" claimed Tuffnut. Ruffnut kind of shut up after that. It really was a birthmark. Their attention was turned to Astrid and Millia who was now about 20 feet in front of them. Millia waved to the twins from up top a calm Nightmare.

"Tuffnut!" called Millia happily. That was the first time she's been on a dragon, and it didn't seem like it minded at all. Tuffnut waved back to her.

"Heh, they're not that comfortable are they?" the blonde boy called from the dragon's feet. The Nightmare snorted and moved its head towards Tuffnut, who in turn patted its nose. Millia shook her head with a big grin on her face.

"The saddle helps a little bit," admitted Millia. Astrid jabbed her elbow into Tuffnut, a smirk on her face.

"Why don't you take Millia for a ride? She needs to get accustomed to being in the air," insisted Astrid. Tuffnut blushed at the idea, somewhat taken aback by the suggestion, his eyes met with Millia's as if to ask 'should I?' but the answer was clear when she gave him a 'pretty please' pouty face and big watery doe eyes. How could he say no to that? Tuffnut climbed onto the Nightmare behind Millia, snuggling himself tightly to her. Astrid handed him the ropes necessary to keep them on the dragon while flying.

"Don't go too far now. It's still her first time," called Astrid as the dragon folded it's wings above them and lunged upwards, the beating of its elongated red wings caught them in mid-fall to push them up even higher. It felt very awkward to Millia with the constant motion of the dragon gaining momentum in the air. She held onto Tuffnut's arm that was around her and to the ropes in front of her as tightly as she could. That's when the upward motion turned into a forward motion with the motion of the flight becoming far more smooth.

As they finally got to a gliding speed and height, Millia could not only feel the Nightmare's muscles relaxing a bit, but she could also feel Tuffnut's arm around her relaxing. He must have been holding onto her tightly to keep her steady on the dragon. Oddly enough she felt quite safe and comfortable, probably because Tuffnut was there. He did promise that he would protect her after all.

"Millia," called Tuffnut. Millia turned her head slightly to look back at him. His spare hand came up and brushed some of her hair away from her cheek. The bruise that was left behind from the mess hall accident had finally yellowed and was starting to disappear. Millia couldn't help but blush at his surprisingly gentle touch.

"Good, it's almost healed," sighed Tuffnut in relief. That's when she realized what he was doing. She gave him a reassuring smile and gazed back ahead, feeling a little foolish for letting herself flush like that so easily. The view of Berk was beautiful from up above. It was broad daylight so it wasn't as breathtaking as when Astrid first got to ride Toothless those few years ago, but it was still magnificent. They glided around the island a few times. The Villagers looked so small from up there, waving to them as they flew by. Millia was rather enjoying herself as it seemed so was Tuffnut. They didn't say much to one another, rather, they were caught in the moment, taking it all in.

As they were flying around the south side, the nightmare cocked its head out to the horizon. It let out a few snorts and growls, in which caught Millia and Tuffnut's attention. Before Millia and Tuffnut could land, the nightmare took off higher into the sky. Thank goodness it was fairly cloudy that day because the dragon took them further away from Berk_. _

"What's going on?" asked Millia. Tuffnut didn't answer for a few moments, trying to figure it out himself.

"I think the nightmare caught on to something. I guess we're checking it out," replied Tuffnut. Millia looked at him and the dragon with worry as they continued on. The nightmare had been looking downwards for more of the time. Another snort emerged and as they flew over a tiny break in the clouds. Millia's eyes widened when she recognized the white rectangular sails which the largest carried a specific insignia.

"It's them! The armada! They're so much closer than we anticipated!" cried Millia. Tuffnut looked at her with alarm and signalled the nightmare to position themselves to get a better look without being spotted. The nightmare complied and did a quick manoeuvre.

"There's so many…" Tuffnut spoke. Millia nodded in return.

"I count…at least 80 ships, there may be more. By the gods what have I done?" cried Millia. She cringed at the thought of her new home and all her friends being destroyed. Tuffnut wrapped both arms around her tightly as the nightmare disappeared back into the clouds and took them back to Berk.

"This is not your fault Millia. You're one of us now, a Viking, and we're all glad you came to Berk," cooed Tuffnut, trying to reassure her and make her feel a bit better about the whole situation. He felt really awkward being that way, all kind and what not, it was out of his element and he was having difficulties finding the right words to say. It seemed though the words he used seemed to have made an impact.

"I suppose you're right. Thank you Tuffnut," Millia responded, giving him a small smile. Tuffnut reluctantly let go of the hug and assumed the usual more relaxed seating position as before. They didn't get back to Berk until sundown and when they did, a very angry Astrid was waiting for them. Tuffnut jumped down first, getting solid footing right off the bat, and turned around to help Millia off the dragon. As she fumbled about to climb off, Astrid was going off on a tangent about taking her out too far too long. Tuffnut just ignored her for the most part until Millia was safely off the beast.

"We have a problem…" called Millia to Astrid who immediately quieted down. Tuffnut nodded and took the nightmare back to the dragon's stables leaving Millia to deliver the news about the armada.

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><p>Alright! That's Chapter 8! See you all in Chapter 9!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9: Idle Introductions

Chapter 9: Idle Introductions

Hey guys! First I gotta say, I'm sorry to you all for not posting more chapters. I had hit a huge writers block after Chapter 8 so I figured I'd just set it aside for a while and come back to it later, well… I didn't realize it was over a year later. So! Here I am now, getting you another chapter!

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><p>Roars echoed among the villagers. Vikings seemed content with hollering to each other from far away. Most were hollers of needing more weapons, or someone barking orders to a group of people and dragons to do something. The entire village was preparing for a battle. The creaking of large iron-adorned wooden wheels sounded from the cliffs as they carried Hiccup-brands of long range projectiles that shot spears out like harpoons. Younger Vikings began tacking up there dragons for flight while older or far younger Vikings that haven't yet earned their right of passage as warriors were on standby to aid where ever they would be needed. Berk was restless.<p>

A scout came landing close to where Stoick stood as he shouted orders left and right. The village chief gazed the scout's way, his eyes showed haste and impatience. "Stoick! The armada is close!" Jeered the scout. "They will be reaching Berk within the hour!" Stoick hadn't thought twice about the next orders. "Go tell the air battalion to be on standby, they take to the skies in 30 minutes! Hide them in the clouds and wait for the signal!" The scout nodded and took off towards the stables as the great leader took off to find his son.

Meanwhile, Millia was busy, helping to hide away treasures, get a medical building set up with backup supplies stored in other locations. She even packed a small first aid kit for herself in which she tied tightly in a recently stitched dark tan coloured leather satchel. The key was to make everything look natural so when Larzel and his men are in Berk, nothing would raised suspicion that they had been preparing for them. Millia had made it clear to Stoick that dragons in her country were still hunted and unless they need them to fight, that the dragons should remain unseen.

It seemed like everything was going according to plan, though a little rushed to finish preparing everything. The dragons took to the skies with their riders, hiding in the low-hanging clouds around the island. Everyone still on land were going through the plan and their roles in their minds. Everyone knew to act as though they weren't ready for a battle. Stoick was now at the stables, the egg in his arms, with Hiccup and the group preparing the last dragons for flight, including the Nightmare that Millia and Tuffnut rode earlier. Millia was with them too, strapping up for the flight to the nest. Tuffnut was already on the Nightmare, keeping it steady for Millia to hop on. This time, she sat behind Tuffnut, keeping enough space between them for the egg to sit.

Astrid proceeded to strap supplies onto the Nightmare, mostly food, as they were unaware of how long it would take for this all to pass. Stoick approached the dragon, carefully lifting the egg up and into a leather and clothed pack strapped to Millia like one of those frontal baby carriers that have not yet been invented. Millia stroked the egg gently, feeling the creature's energy inside. Indeed, they are connected those two. You could see partially inside a small figure moved slightly as she touched it.

"We will send someone to come get you when this is all over. Tuffnut, keep them safe, we're counting on you," Stoick chimed to the young Viking. Tuffnut nodded, and glanced over to his friends. Snotlout looked upset. Apparently he had been begging the chief to let him take Millia to the nest, but Tuffnut had claimed the role already long ago.

Birna had approached the dragon next, taking Millia's small dainty hands into her own. They felt rough to the young woman, and were considerably larger than her own. Millia didn't mind it though, Birna was like a mother to her while she stayed in Berk. "You be safe now, child," the woman cooed to her practically adopted daughter. Millia nodded and gave her a sweet smile as Tuffnut jeered the dragon with the reins and it began to take off into the air. Birna was definitely reluctant to let go, but Stoick coerced her to step back, his hands on the woman's shoulders. They watched as the dragon and its passengers disappeared into the clouds. A sinking feeling overcame Birna and the chief, a feeling that wasn't good to have at this time. "I hope they'll be alright," mumbled Birna. Stoick's grip on the woman's shoulders tightened. "So do I…" Not long after, Snotlout and Fishlegs remained on the ground while Astrid, Hiccup, and Ruffnut joined the air strike up in the skies.

It felt like a huge stage production and it was five minutes until curtain. As the ships came into view, they just as quickly arrived to the ports down below but did not dock. Instead, the armada let their anchors drop and a few men boarded a small boat which proceeded to the dock. In the boat was Larzel, Sir Wilfred, and a few other men. The sound of an alerting horn blow bellowed through the air from a lookout tower. A few large, bulky Vikings descended down the creaky wooden stairs and pathways that protruded from the cliff facing to the docks, with the village leader, Stoick leading the way.

To most of the Vikings, it was torture just waiting to see what will happen. The anticipation was thick in the air, but they managed to keep their reserve and act normally. The village had fallen in love with Millia, she had become one of them, family, and each and every Viking was determined to keep their new family member safe.

As the boat approached the dock, Stoick sized up the inhabitants. All of them were fairly tall and lanky. Especially one of the men who carried himself with importance seemed especially crooked and thin. The other man, who wore a strange uniform seemed to have a bit more muscle on him, and his eyes felt a little more trusting than that of the crooked man. Stoick's chest puffed up as he glanced their way, making eye contact with the crooked one. "Visitors are not welcome here," began the chief. "State your business then be on your way."

The crooked man didn't seem to pleased with the hostility right from the start. "Now now Viking, don't be hasty. We're on the search for a fugitive of our country but I'm afraid we're running low on supplies. I only ask that you let us stay for a day to restock and we'll leave," the crooked man slithered to the Viking brute. "This criminal is very dangerous you know. I will need my men to check your island to make sure no uninvited guest is hiding about. Once it's clear, we'll be on our merry way," he chirped with a smile just as crooked as his stance. The man waited a moment while Stoick contemplated. "Very well," said the chief. And with that the man jumped out of the boat and onto the dock, followed by the other. The rest of the boatmen pushed off the dock and returned to the main ship.

Now that the ships were at the docks, it was quite clear that they were at least three times the size of the Viking ships. This concerned Stoick, unsure of just how much fire power these ships had, and how many men were in each. No matter, they had a plan of their own. "And what are your names?" Asked Stoick to the man. "You may call me Larzel, and this is Sir Wilfred." Larzel answered while waving a hand to the other man as well. "And yours?" Stoick began to turn towards the stairs as he answered. "Stoick the Vast, I am the leader of this Village."

Sir Wilfred remained silent during this time. He turned back to glance at the ships for only a moment before following the others up the docks. This was going to be a very long night…

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><p>Oh man! What's gonna happen?! See you in Chapter 10!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10: The Fisherman's Boat

Chapter 10: The Fisherman's Boat

Thank you everyone for you loyalty in following my story. Even after all this time you still came to read it. I hope the ending will be worth your wait!

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><p>Small whispers shrouded the island. Many villagers talked amongst themselves as the two foreigners passed by. Wilfred tried to ignore the cool winds that nipped at his extremities with difficulty. Larzel was a cold man to begin with so he didn't seem too bothered by the chill of the wind. The velvet-like jacket he wore probably also provided him with some degree of warmth, unlike the cotton uniform Wilfred had on. He wouldn't doubt the men on the ships were probably freezing cold and wanted to seek the comfort in pint mugs made of metal, wood, and bone containing ale and rum. But such blessings would have to wait.<p>

Larzel's men wasted no time in arriving to the island and creating search parties to scour the island for any sign of Millia's attendance. Stoick, and many others prayed silently that they managed to erase all signs that she was there. Snotlout and Fishlegs watched as Larzel poked around the village, mostly with Fishlegs holding Snotlout back from making a serious mistake that could end in disaster. Snotlout wasn't exactly as bright as Hiccup, Astrid, or Fishlegs.

"We should just take 'em out right now. I can defeat a hundred of those boats with my bare hands!" complained Snotlout. Every time he took a step forward towards where Larzel was, or towards the docks, Fishlegs would yank him back. "Remember what Stoick said Snotlout! Don't cause trouble."

Larzel glanced the young men's way, as though he heard their conversation. There was an expression the Vikings didn't want to see in that moment. The tall, crooked man gave a sneer-like smile, the man's short moustache curling around the apples of his fairly hollow cheeks as he turned away to continue looking.

During the searches, the Vikings felt helpless, but constantly on edge. It irked many of them, wanting to do something about the invaders, but knowing the consequences could be even more devastating than when they were at war with the dragons those years ago.

The coolness of the mist nipped at Millia's face as her and Tuffnut weaved by dragon back to the volcanic nest. This time, she was well dressed in Viking attire which, while sometimes it was a tad itchy, shielded her from the chilly cold.

It felt eerie and the rocks were like a maze, but the nightmare they rode knew the way. Tuffnut grunted in anticipation to see the place they had left desolated in the destruction caused by that mountainous beast years ago. No doubt wild dragons would still be living there in all its warmth. Winter was no place for reptiles.

"Are you sure you know where we're going Tuff?" Millia asked from behind him. Tuff… he liked that nickname, but he decided he would only accept it from her.

"Yeah. All the dragons know the way to the nest." he assured the girl. He could feel her grip ease up a little, which in turn gave him a small smile. Just as they relaxed, a roar bellowed from their side. Millia shuttered to find a wild gronkle appearing flying beside them, bobbing up and down in its flight pattern. Millia's grip on Tuffnut's sleeve tightened immensely as she became nervous. It wasn't long before the realized that they were being escorted by dozens of wild dragons to the island.

"I hope this is a good sign…" Tuffnut whispered cautiously as the island phased into view.

What was probably only an hour or so, felt like an eternity to the Vikings of Berk while Larzel's men searched the island. Luckily, Millia's dress she arrived in was eaten up by one of their fire pits weeks ago, and the boat she arrived in as well was dismantled for firewood. Stoick felt confident that they erased all signs of Millia's presence. Birna, however, felt more uneasy. In order to keep an eye on Larzel, the village chief gave the crooked man a "tour" of the village, explaining they had only recently begun preparations for the upcoming winter, and that most Viking clans are not on peaceful terms, hence all the weapons.

"Do you have any problems with Dragons by chance?" asked the velvet-laden man. Stoick huffed and bellowed an egocentric laugh from deep in his belly, sounding loud and booming like thunderous claps.

"We used to be at war with them constantly, until a few years ago when we found their nest. Now they don't bother us." replied Stoick. Technically the man was telling the truth, he just left out the fact that they're considered companions now.

Obviously assuming he meant they eradicated the dragons in their region, Larzel nodded in approval. Wildred merely tagged along most of the time. Only once did he disappear momentarily. It seemed like the plan was going to work, when one of Larzel's men came shouting from the wood storage area.

"Sir! Sir!" the man hollered, waving a small plank of oak wood under his arm.

"Sir! I think this is a part of the fisherman's boat! He said it looks and smelled like it." the man finally huffed from under his broken breath. Stoick stared, astonished that such a man would recognize a piece of wood from their boat, and that it was found in the first place. He thought they burned it all. Stoick piped up quickly.

"Naaah, that? It was part of some old empty boat that drifted to shore, but there was no one in it. So we used it as firewood. The storms up here can easily swallow up small boats, it was broken in half when we found it." Stoick hoped that his fib would not be sensed and tried to be as casually convincing as possible. Larzel of course never took explanations at face value.

"Well just to make sure, we'll be extra thorough. I'm going to go check the stables if you don't mind." he sneered as his lanky legs swooned around and he trotted down the hill. As he left, Wilfred took Stoick's arm. Once Larzel and his men were out of ear shot, she piped up.

"Stoick, if you are hiding Millia…." he paused. "Then I hope they don't find her." Wilfred's grip loosened. Stoick withdrew momentarily. Was this man working against the very group he came with? Stoick was slightly confused.

"What do you mean exactly?" he asked the humbled knight. Wilfred urged him to some place quiet and more private to which Stoick obliged. Birna felt the need to attend this secret meeting and tagged along in haste.

"Millia is my niece, Stoick, she's the only family I have left. When the egg was presented to her, one of the servants must have overheard the whole thing and told Lord Cecil. I was so proud of my niece when she accepted. She has a kind heart, and would raise that dragon to have the same, I have no doubt. But when the guardsmen came to the door, we had to get her out of there. Millia's mother…my sister, did not make it out and I had to play coy after I shoved Millia out a back entrance as if I was with Cecil's men." Wilfred sighed, rubbing his face in shame.

"There is another part of that prophecy that no one else knew except Millia's grandmother, her mother, and myself. With her dragon, she can topple kingdoms and create nations. But if her heart were to remain pure and true, she would become her kingdom's greatest protector. The prophecy spoke of two paths Stoick, and I believe that Millia will follow the latter. She has a gentle soul. And I see the look in your eyes Stoick, you've met Millia, I can see it in all the villagers. She's found a place in all your hearts."

Stoick contemplated to himself before nodding and taking the mans hand in a shake.

"Aye, she has found herself another home and another family." he reassured him, and Wilfred smiled.


	11. Chapter 11: A Safe Place

Thanks again for everyone that has favorited/liked, followed, and reviewed my fanfic! It means a lot that so many of you enjoy my writing! I'm excited to wrap up the storyline in the next couple of chapters!

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><p>The wind picked up a bit as Larzel found his way to the stables. He took notice how large each stall was, enough to fit a few horses in at least, and all of them were empty. How peculiar he thought. What's more is that these stables were all fairly new with only a little bit of weathering around the outside, small but important observation. Just as the man continued to snoop, he heard a growl-ish grunt come from one of the back stables, followed by a frustrated holler from none other than the young Snotlout.<p>

Larzel's eyes widened when he realized that the young man was suiting up a dragon, with a sadle in hand. He withdrew momentarily and tried to stay hidden. Snotlout complained and grunted some more.

"Ugh! Why is it I never get the girl?! And Tuffnut of all people! Millia would look way better hanging off my arm instead." the young Viking fiddled with the saddle straps, his dragon being patient. The mention of Millia was exactly what Larzel wanted to hear, perhaps he could use this to his advantage.

"I'm tired of waiting. I'm just gonna to get her right now and run away…. Or something…." Snotlout clearly speaking before thinking. A shadow emerged from the corner of Snotlout's eye on the ground, ever growing in height. Spinning around, he drew his axe upwards, ready for an attack.

"I couldn't agree more." a slithering voice emerged from off to the side as Larzel approached the two, his hands were up to show he wasn't holding a weapon and to exude his statement. Snotlout jumped out of surprise and nearly lost his axe. His dragon growled a very low throaty sound that sounded very bass compared to most people which indicated hostility. Snotlout readied his axe again in case the man tried to fight them. Larzel carried a sinister snicker.

"Relax Viking… and eh… dragon. I mean you no harm, on the contrary, I wish to aid you in your noble quest to rescue your beloved damsel." he coyed, too weary of the dragon to get very close. It took a moment for Snotlout to get what he was saying, perhaps he should have taken Gobbler's advice and did some reading over the years.

"Why would you want to help me?" asked Snotlout suspiciously. Larzel brushed his jacket with his hands out of habit as he paced from side to side.

"Well I figured we could… scratch each others backs in a way. Millia , the woman you're so desperate for is also desperately needed to protect her homeland from enemies, her people need her, but scared of the responsibility, she ran away. I need your help to bring her back, and I will bring you along as the girls companion, and together, you can rule over her people." he paused briefly to let it sink into the Viking's imagination, when he saw Snotlout all sparkly-eyed, he continued.

" Now how does that sound?" You see, anyone else would have known how much of a blatant lie this is, seeing how Millia already told what was going on, however, Snotlout missed out on the explanation when he threatened Millia then stormed off. The things you miss when you're in a state of anger.

"So you're saying, if I help you take Millia back to your… her country, I could essentially be like their king?" the sound of it at first sounded sceptical and condescending, but wasn't the case when his face turned into a smile belonging to that of a gleeful letch.

"Hop onto the dragon express! Next stop, kingship!" Snotlout shimed. The corner of Larzel's mouth curled upward into a twisted smile.

"Kingship indeed."

()

The fires of Hellheims Gate roared with the same ferocity as it did many years ago, however felt far more empty to Tuffnut than before. Sure, there were thousands of dragons, but the monster that once occupied the mountain was no more.

Millia kept close to her protector while clasping the egg in one of her arms so it didn't slip out of its carrier. She wondered if this was how Tuffnuts mother felt when she was nine months pregnant with the twins. Millia immediately shook the silly thought when Tuffnut stopped her.

"Woah! Watch where you're going. There's cliffs all over the place inside this mountain." Tuffnut exclaimed, a concerned look wore upon his face. Millia just grinned at him sheepishly.

"Sorry sweetie." she teased, but her smile turned into a frown when Tuff grabbed her hand and yanked her away from the cliff edge, his back turned to her. The red glow of the molten lava reached the tip of her face. Did she anger him? A small growl emerged from his throat as he pulled her along, weaving through caverns. He was mad… perhaps she shouldn't have taken his warning so lightly.

Tuffnut was indeed angry, but not for the reasons that Millia had thought. Calling him sweetie had made the tough Vikings cheeks and ears flush bright red, and the growling was out of frustration; frustration that he so wanted to turn around and declare his undying love for the girl, except now was not a good time. He kept looking forward as the young and proud Viking didn't want the girl of his dreams seeing him in such a state.

While the caverns all looked the same, each also felt unique at the same time. They could have just let the dragon carry them the entire way, but the walk was nice to the leg muscles in that they gave them a good stretch. Feeling the heat of the molten lava combined with a dragon's body heat was probably just too much for them to handle anyways. It was like having a fire roaring in a sauna… not ideal. The heat of the volcano however, was a nice change from the cold crispness of the northern climate.

"This looks like a good spot" chimed the young blonde man as he pointed to a mound of hot ash and sand, perfect for incubating a dragon egg. Millia promptly agreed and proceeded to prep the area. The sand was much too hot for them to handle, but the dragon which ferried them to the island could handle it easily. Hiccup had proven on multiple occasions that not only were dragons sentient, but their intelligence was as developed as many humans.

The dragon didn't need to be asked to prep a nest, it already knew its job. The grand beast inspected the sand and, with only one hand, created a small crater. Both Millia and Tuffnut were impressed with the dragon's comprehension and they wasted no time in cozying the egg into its new little home.


	12. Chapter 12: The Funnel

Chapter 12: The Funnel

Once again thank you to everyone who as liked and fav'd my story!

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><p>Eyes shifted amongst the Vikings back on Berk as the inspecting southerners began to act suspiciously. Sir Wilfred took note in the sudden change of behaviour and immediately informed the chief in secret.<p>

"The men are planning something Stoick. I've have my suspicions for a while, I will go check it out, but keep your people ready for anything." the noble man warned. All the time, Stoick gained more respect for the knight.

"Aye, I shall" the mountainous Viking replied. The parted ways briefly and while Stoick went to speak with Gobbler, Sir Wilfred sought out one of the search party coordinators.

"Has confirmation of the girl's attendance been found Captain?" he asked. The generically seafaring dressed captain replied with a smirk and cocky tone.

"Aye, Larzel felt us a message confirming it. We're getting the men ready while he goes after her.: was his report. Wilfred raised an eyebrow.

"So soon? Don't you think it would be best if we wait a bit? I'm gaining the chief's trust, we may be able to make the operation a whole lot easier." Wilfred cooed, but the captain just shook his head, something Wilfred did not want to see as a response.

"Can't trust a Viking, they're just savages, and we have our orders." Wilfred somewhat sighed, it looks like they are going to do things the hard way. Wilfred watched as the captain of the fleet returned to his ship and the crews began boarding small boats, mean while Wilfred remained on the island, a look of him in deep contemplation glossed over his eyes and his expression become even more serious and morose.

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Meanwhile, at the dragon's nest, Millia had just checked up on the egg, which seemed to be doing well. There were a few dragons of different types all curled up around it. Tuffnut had taken out some packed food and a cantene of water for them. While he ate no problem, Millia struggled.

"You okay?" her companion finally asked. Millia sighed and shook her head.

"How can I eat when Berk's being invaded? I wish there was something I could do." the girl sighed again. Well she certainly isn't a Viking, most wouldn't lose their appetite out of concern, in fact, it usually increased it. This would explain why Tuffnut's stomach growled for more.

"Hey we're Vikings. We were born with axes and hammers in our hands. And you did a lot. Thanks to you, we were more than ready for this." Tuffnut was feeling proud of himself, he was getting better at this mushy supportive stuff, though he secretly hoped that he didn't have to act this way all of the time, that'd make him seriously ill if he did.

"I'm sorry Tuff…" Millia piped up, a desperate look in her eyes as she dropped her food and immediately grabbed Tuffnut's hands. Tuffnut flinched in surprise slightly, but didn't take his hands away. They felt soft to hi, just like her hair.

"Sorry about what?" the young man was very confused. Millia gazed down at the ground in between them.

"I'm sorry that I made you angry earlier, I was just trying to keep the mood light. I guess I have a lot of learn about Viking humor." Millia continued to keep her head down, the light of the molten rock at the bottom on a cliff off to their side burst up momentarily like a geyser. Uh oh. Tuffnut felt like he was in a tight spot now. Should he tell her the truth now? Or should he play it off as though she really did anger him earlier? But doing that will give her the wrong idea. He didn't know what to do…

"Don't worry about it." was all he managed to say as a casual brush-off. It gave Millia a little peace of mind, but feelings about it still lingered. For Tuffnut, he felt like he managed to suppress his urge to confess himself once again, thank goodness. He really wanted to wait until this was all over in which to formally ask her to be his. Especially now they are alone, except for all the dragons, he has been finding it more difficult to keep quiet. Every time he gazed at her, his heart began to pound in his chest. He needed to clear his mind.

"I think I'm going to go scout the area a bit. I won't go too far, I promise." Exclaimed Tuffnut before grabbing a weapon and disappearing around the corner. Millia gazed after him.

"Oh…Okay…" She whispered. There wasn't really anything for her to do except try to finish her half-eaten meal, lost in her thoughts and worry.

( )

Back on Berk, men from the ships began to board the island, pretty soon, the Europeans outnumbered the Vikings…well the ones on land that is. At least the Vikings were generally bigger and much stronger, but there were still many more soldiers and sailors on the boats in the armada. The Vikings grew weary and nervous and Stoick was no different. The captain on the first ship was with Sire Wilfred and the village chief when he gave the signal.

"Ahm serry I have at do this to yah Stoick, but I got orders to eliminate anyone harberrin the fugitive." jeered the captain as he unsheathed his cutlass sword to take a swing at the unarmed Viking. Stoick barely had any time to respond when he saw the blade speeding towards him. *tsssshhhiing!* echoes of two metal swords colliding reverberated in the air like an old iron bell. Stoick jumped back slightly as Wilfred's bastard sword met with the captain's blade. That was too close.

"I will not let you do this…" Wilfred insistently proclaimed as both men drew their swords back. Stoick immediately signalled the Vikings to defend against the hostilites. Many of the older Vikings jeered happily, knowing that they finally get to scratch their battle itch. Within less that a second later, an all out war broke out. The sea surrounding their location was filled with the screams and hollers of valour paired by the chiming clashing of weapons. One of the Vikings lit one of the giant torches, signalling their secret army of dragons and to engage the enemy. Hiccup got the message immediately.

"That's he signal. Alright Toothless, let's go show them why you shouldn't mess with Berk." Toothless scoffed and their smooth flight began to change to that of structure. Still hidden in the light airy clouds, Hiccup gave the first signal. The dragons in flight began producing small flames in their mouths, heating up the air around them. The rapid warming swirled and circulated from the beating of their wings to create a massive hot front around the armada in the air. Hitting the cool crispness of the autumn climate, the two fronts sucked up water vapour from the surrounding ocean to create a massive storm cloud.. Many men looked above in wonder and astonishment. Some men began shouting religious banters and either began praying, or running into the cabins and hiding. The storm grew thick and hung low.

Hiccup gave the next signal and the army of dragons positioned themselves in a circle. Once ready, the tricky part began as the dragons and their riders started to push the air like a turbine in a counter-clockwise direction while continuing to heat up the air. Some dragons were getting tired at this point, it was a lot of work and the movements weren't quite natural. This was something which required some training, choreography, and practice. Grunts and hollers suddenly came from higher up to their north as hundreds of wild dragons emerged and began to join them. Incredible! Did Millia and Tuffnut somehow manage to tell these dragons what was going on? Something told Hiccup this wasn't the case. Still, watching the wild dragons join in was nothing short of a spectacle. Now they could really call themselves a force of nature.

And that was exactly the idea. The waters surrounding the armada began to shift and get rough, rocking the anchored ships about. With every passing moment, the waters which went which went from subtle peaks grew to violent and tall clashing waves. Many of the ship crews began running about to try and tie up the sails. On crewman specifically noticed the ship beginning to drift to one side. No, it wasn't just the cessel he was on. Every ship in a small radius began turning and drifting counter-clockwise. What was going on?! BANG! Loud booms of ships colliding together echoed, followed by screams and hollers of the accompanied crews. Some were barking orders or their response to them, others were just plain screaming. The waves picked up some more and as they drew upwards from the momentum, the water continued to spin.

"Oh…my…god…" One man whispered to himself as the water lifted into a funnel, reaching into the sky. With it, it picked up pieces of crashed boat, sailors, soldiers, and supplies with it. What the man saw was the armada being assaulted by a massive water twister. The sailor bolted from the other end of the boat, however in his futile attempts, felt his body become wet and weightless. He panicked and managed to grab onto a piece of a mast as he went soaring up into the air towards the storm clouds.

It pretty much felt like a reverse water slide with water constantly spraying his face, although there were a lot more hazards. The slamming of the mast against other pieces of the ship sent the man spiralling upwards. There was a moment where he felt completely weightless and the water spraying stopped Daring to open his eyes, his jaw dropped.

Hundreds of dragons in the sky! And they were circling the funnel! Could they be the cause of this freak storm? A feeling of dread and hopelessness overcame his ad he began to fall back down to the earth below, and surely to certain death.


End file.
